The present invention relates to an electronic device provided with multiple sequencers capable of independent or coordinated operation.
In particular, reference is made to the type of sequencers used in electronic musical instruments, such as electronic organs, electronic pianos, synthesisers, electronic keyboards or similar devices.
Conventionally, a sequencer for recording/playing sequences of time stamped events on/from a recording medium is integrally or separately provided to an electronic musical instrument, such as an electronic organ. A sequencer serves all the tasks that generate sequences of timed events. In this context, sequences of timed events include, but are not limited to, songs in MIDI or digital proprietary format.
Typically, a sequencer has a record (RECORD) function, a play (PLAY) function, a fast-forward (F.F.  greater than  greater than ) function, a rewind (REW.  less than  less than ) function, a stop (STOP) function, a repeat (REPEAT) function, a positioning function (SEEK) and a PAUSE function, and other similar functions, and it is provided with a plurality of operation buttons to control these functions.
The sequencer is also provided with a plurality of switches, knobs, and buttons, typically arranged on a control panel, that allow for setting sound control information to control the tone colour, tone volume, effects and other characters to be generated. The sequencer typically stores the sound control information and simultaneously and instantaneously reproduces the state of the panel controls upon operation.
The data source for the sequencers may be external (i.e. from a MIDI connection or a remote communications network server computer) or internal (in this case data is stored in Flash ROM, RAM, Floppy Disk, Hard Disk, CD-ROM, magneto-optical disk, Digital Versatile Disk or other storage device). It is a common need of musicians to have the possibility to select the next song/music pattern to be played while playing the current song/pattern, to start the next song at a specific measure when ending play the current song/pattern and fade in/out between two songs or music patterns.
In other terms, there is the need for the musician to use an electronic musical instrument like a DJ (Disc Jockey) uses two or more record players (turn tables) to carry out continuous reproduction or remix of music. The DJ sets two records in the record players and performs reproduction while manually operating on record players, setting the pick up of one turn table on a specific track, and pre- listens to it on headphones while playing the other record, performing mixing between the two records, at specific time fading in/out between the two, while manually changing the rotating speed of the turn tables, thus adjusting the beat (tempo) of the two records being played to his feeling.
The use of a single conventional sequencer does not satisfy any of the aforementioned requirements. This need is furthermore remarked by the fact that solutions exist on the market giving the possibility to pre-listen to the next song/pattern to be played on a single sequencer through software artifacts. It would be hence desirable to have a system with two or more sequencers to implement the above demanded features in electronic musical instruments.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic musical instrument with two, or more, sequencers with means to control, mix and synchronise them.
Accordingly, this invention includes common panel control means (switches, knobs, buttons, combinations of these) used to set various kinds of sequence control information elaborated on the two sequencers (for example to set the songs tempo and/or synch information for each sequencer), duplicated sets of panel operation controls, a specific set for each sequencer implemented in the machine, to simultaneously and independently control sequencers operations (switches, knobs, buttons and/or combinations of these that include functions to start, stop, pause, forward, rewind, and position each of the sequencers).
The sequences also include panel control means for mixing (function of balancing, i.e. fading in/out between the sequencers) and synchronising time stamped events elaborated in the sequencers. In addition, displaying means (LCD or similar device) is included in order to monitor the activity and instant setting of the sequencers.
This invention will be described in further details by way of an example with reference to the accompanying drawings. One embodiment of the invention consists in two music sequencers, as above described, operating on sequences of timed events that in this context are songs in MIDI or digital proprietary format, which simultaneously generate music performances on a tone generator. The operator uses local or remote operating controls to set, operate and possibly synchronise the sequencers.
This embodiment also includes the methods to synchronise the two sequencers. It must be noted that the synch methods described in the hereinafter embodiment also apply in case that more than two sequencers are present in the machine.